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Friday, 23 October 2015

It's always nice to go to a book sale, whether the sale is of new books or of used books. I like to paw through boxes of old books or shelves of nicely-arranged paperbacks. What I hadn't known until my own books were in print was that it is also fun to attend book sales as an author.
Maybe it would be less fun if I were trying to be The Most Famous And Popular Writer Ever. But I've always known that my books appeal to some people, not to everyone. Margaret Atwood can be famous and popular -- I'm glad to be HERE in the world of books with some works of which I can be proud.

Saturday October 24th I'll be spending the afternoon at Shirley Community Hall some miles down the road from Sooke BC. It's a cheerful little hall where a used book sale is happening from noon to four pm. Next door is a picnic park and a lovely little restaurant. You can see the Hall's page on Facebook at this link.

Come by and see copies of some of my books! I'll have a tablet and a Kobo there to show more of them. There won't be a lot of copies to buy, but there will be my cards with info you can take to any bookstore. My books can also be ordered from online booksellers or directly from the publisher.

Saturday, 3 October 2015

I've always liked reviewing books, or writing articles about them. It's interesting to see how similar themes can be handled by different writers, or how one writer can show both consistency and variety from one book to another. Right now writing a few book reviews is helping me settle into my new place with some quick new writing projects.

As a reader, I'm looking for many similar things in everything I read. Maybe most of us don't judge fiction by the same standards as non-fiction... but I think facts and real life don't get in the way of a good story. They certainly don't in the science fiction and fantasy books I'm reviewing right now. Any novel is improved by the careful use of real facts. The book sitting on my desk is a new edition of a “trip to Mars” novel first released in 1972. A few edits had to be made based on scientific discoveries by the Viking lander on Mars, but surprisingly few changes were necessary to the setting – and none to the narrative. A strong story can work even in a profoundly changed setting,